The Electric Utility Commission re-elected Chair Michael Osborne and Vice Chair Karen Hadden during its first meeting as an 11-member body on Monday. They were not the only commissioners to be nominated, however. Returning Commissioner Brent Heidebrecht nominated new Commissioner Cary Ferchill – appointed by Mayor Steve Adler – for the vice chair position. Heidebrecht stated that he made the move to give “deference” to Adler and the 10-1 governance system. Long-serving Commissioner Shudde Fath seconded the nomination, noting that the commission now has seven new members. She said that electing Ferchill would provide a “balance” to the commission by giving the new members representation among the officers. Ferchill, however, withdrew his own nomination, saying that he did not feel strongly about taking the position and planned to vote in favor of new Commissioner Carol Biedrzycki’s nomination of Hadden. Before the vote was taken, Hadden requested the support of the commission and said she was eager to reprise her role as vice chair.

There are a lot of fun things to do at the library, but you probably don’t consider paying fines to be one of them. Thanks to the Austin Public Library’s new online payment system, patrons with late fees need no longer to besmirch their library experience with monetary transactions. The new system launched on Wednesday, and according to an announcement from the library, it is compatible with a variety of devices and screen sizes, and it charges no additional processing fees.

Hays County officials announced on Tuesday that the Commissioners Court will hold a special meeting this week to discuss and potentially take action on a project to replace the Fisher Store Bridge, which was destroyed in the Memorial Day weekend floods. The bridge provided a vital crossing of the Blanco River, and county officials have been eager to implement both interim and long-term solutions as quickly as possible in order to ease the burden on travelers in the southwestern region of the county. According to the announcement, some of the discussion – which is likely to address issues of right-of-way, design and construction – may go into executive session. The meeting will be held Friday, July 24 at 1 p.m. at the Hays County Courthouse, Room 301.

While the nation’s eyes seem to be turned toward next year’s presidential contest, here in Travis County, there’s another crowded field of candidates looking for your attention. Right now, there are four declared Democrats seeking their party’s nomination for sheriff: Lakeway Police Chief Todd Radford, Travis County Sgt. Don Rios, former Austin Police Lt. John Sisson and Travis County Chief Deputy Jim Sylvester. Last week, all four filed their first campaign finance disclosures, and there was one eye-popping standout: At $61,291, Rios’ fundraising haul was nearly six times larger than the second-highest take in this first stage of the horse race. Behind Rios was Radford, who collected $10,200. Sisson raked in $4,005 (but his war chest is larger thanks to the $35,000 he loaned his campaign), while Sylvester landed $1,540. Rios’ big number was boosted by a $45,000 gift from the Travis County Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Association PAC. Radford benefited from a $10,000 bump from the Travis County Sheriff’s Officer’s Association PAC. Naturally, all of these numbers should be taken with a large grain of salt given that the March primary is still many, many, many months away.

The Texas Department of Transportation is now taking public comments on a freshly unveiled revamp of Interstate 35 from Holly Street to just south of Oltorf Street. TxDOT officials showed off the plans during a public meeting Tuesday night at Martin Middle School. The project’s top goal is to increase capacity. Highlights of the plan include expanding the right-of-way to fit in new collector-distributor lanes under Riverside Drive. That would, in effect, create an auxiliary frontage road to allow drivers to bypass the stoplight at Riverside. The plan also calls for modifying the freeway to increase sightlines, as well as the enhancement of pedestrian, bicycle and transit options. The agency will continue to operate a virtual open house through Aug. 2.

Allegiant Airlines announced on Tuesday that it will be offering direct flights between Austin and Memphis, Tennessee, beginning Oct. 1. The timing, just ahead of this year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival, is no coincidence, according to an announcement from Allegiant. In a nod to Austin’s “budding tourism scene,” the nonstop route joins three others – Cincinnati, Las Vegas and Orlando/Sanford – catering specifically to “low-cost leisure travel.” Right now, the airline is offering promotional introductory rates beginning at $48 one way to travelers who buy their tickets by July 25. The Memphis flights will be available twice a week.

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Transportation app RideScout is expanding its downtown circulator service, which offers free rides along a fixed route from the Convention Center to Republic Square Park, running west on Eighth and Sixth streets and returning east on Fifth and Second streets. Although the route is fixed, the stops are not. Riders can flag down RideShare vehicles anywhere along the way. Currently in its pilot phase, the service initially provided rides in open-air electric cabs – now, through a partnership with R&R Limo and Bus, it will be adding air-conditioned 20-passenger shuttles in order to accommodate more riders. The shuttle runs every 10 to 15 minutes on weekdays during the three busiest times of day: 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 4 to 6 p.m.

On Monday, Mayor Steve Adler posted an update on the City Council Message Board regarding a new working group that was formed to “develop a holistic, equitable economic development plan” for East Austin. The group was created in the wake of Council’s postponement in May – prompted by Adler – of a decision regarding development of a PGA-style golf course at Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park. In his post, Adler writes that the group plans to develop short- and long-term goals that will “address equity, access and the economic segregation” in Austin and “redress historic, systemic inequities and benign neglect in the ‘Eastern Crescent’ of our city.” Along with Adler, the group includes Council Members Ora Houston of District 1; Pio Renteria, District 3; Leslie Pool, District 7 and Ellen Troxclair, District 8. Adler writes that although the group has not strictly defined the Eastern Crescent’s bounds, it “certainly includes parts of the following Districts: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7.” So far, Adler wrote, the group has held two meetings, one of which involved more than 50 people, and it is now preparing for a broader community meeting on Sept. 12. Ahead of that meeting, the group is reaching out to “200+ people who represent neighborhoods, education, nonprofits, faith communities, business and government” with a set of questions. To weigh in on those questions or to learn more about the working group, see Adler’s post.

Last weekend’s KittyPalooza oversaw a record-breaking number of cat and kitten adoptions at the Austin Animal Center. In its eighth year, the event – like any Austin festival worth its salt – lasted through the weekend with temperatures approaching 100 degrees. These conditions didn’t deter die-hard fans, who were apparently content that in lieu of waving lighters, there would be waiving of adoption fees. Adoptive parents showed up prepared with KittyPalooza Backstage Passes to expedite the adoption process, and according to an announcement from the city of Austin, 196 animals went home with new families.

The mysteries of auditing will soon be made clear thanks to a public information session hosted City Auditor Corrie Stokes. She will explain why audits happen and how they affect the city of Austin and its residents. As the newly appointed city auditor, Stokes will also be sharing her goals for the department — of which she is a 15-year veteran — fielding questions and seeking input about citizen priorities for the 2016 Audit Plan. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 21, at City Hall, in the Boards and Commissions room, 11 a.m. to noon. Those who can’t make it to the meeting are also welcome to submit ideas online about which city departments or activities should be audited and which city programs need improvement.

The Capital Metro Planning, Safety and Operations Committee did a good deal of foreshadowing July 13 regarding its future projects. Committee members unanimously placed $8.3 million in professional services contracts on the July 27 consent agenda. CapMetro’s two-year, $2 million pending contract with Freese and Nichols Inc. and Aken Industries is for construction observation work. According to Dottie Watkins, vice president of bus and paratransit services, CapMetro utilizes independent observers to better ensure that its construction projects comply with federal, state and local codes. CapMetro also introduced a $5 million engineering services contract for design and general infrastructure improvement work on its railroad and other transportation projects. HNTB Corp. and Huitt-Zollars Inc. are recommended for the five-year contract. A $1.3 million contract for professional real estate services is in the works as well. Board members will soon consider a two-year base contract modification with HDR Inc. for real estate services. The services will go toward CapMetro’s Plaza Saltillo development, an 11-acre site just east of I-35 in downtown Austin. This is CapMetro’s largest development project and could result in as many as 800 apartments as well as shops and a grocery store on the now-vacant lot that surrounds a MetroRail stop.